💔5 Stars for Cross My Heart by Megan Collins!
This book had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish, and I honestly could not put it down. It’s a twisted thriller with a protagonist who is unhinged in the best way possible, and a story that kept flipping the script on me.


Rosie Lachlan, after being dumped on her wedding day, receives a heart transplant and is convinced that her new heart belonged to Daphne Thorne, the wife of a famous author. She starts communicating with Daphne's widowed husband, Morgan, through anonymous service called DonorConnect thinking they are somehow meant to be together. But as she unravels the truth about Morgan's past, things get darker—and Rosie has to face the possibility that her heart might not be the only thing in danger.

What I loved:
💥 Twists and reveals that kept me guessing the entire time
📱 The emails and texts added a whole new level to the story
🎶 Friends and Taylor Swift references made it all the more fun
👀Rosie’s obsession was wild, but I found myself strangely rooting for her
🐶 Also, major bonus points for the author’s note ensuring no animals will be harmed in this book (Green Flag )

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers with complex characters and dark twists, Cross My Heart is a MUST-READ!

I was cringing from the beginning. The emails in the first few pages were terribly childish. The novel itself was childish. The language used more specifically. I had to DNF.

Thank you so much @AtriaBooks for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 14 January 2025)

SYNOPSIS | One year ago, Rosie had a heart transplant and becomes romantically obsessed with her donor's husband (Morgan) after she begins messaging him anonymously via DonorConnect.

WHAT I LIKED:
- I had the best time being sucked into this twisty story
- every time I thought I knew what was going on... there was another twist or revelation
- loved the addition of the mixed media format (emails / texts)
- the misdirection and red herrings galore
- whilst the protagonist is absolutely unhinged she was still rather likeable

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- a lot of side eyeing at the characters decisions (you for sure need to suspend your disbelief)
- the chapters were quite long

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the review copy of this book.

First and foremost, I am so thankful for the author's note that there is no harm to the animals in the book. This is just about the only thing that I can't handle reading about, seeing in movies/shows, etc.

I already knew I was a fan of Megan Collins so I jumped at the opportunity for this book. It did not disappoint. I was so sure I knew how this one was going to go, but low and behold, it was not at all what I expected! I loved the character development and the way this keeps you guessing and wondering. And the twist at the end was great! Definitely recommend!

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Pub Date: 1/14
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Megan Collins... You sure do know how to create some really awesome psychological thrillers. I could not wait to read this one and it for sure did not disappoint.
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Cross My Heart is such an interesting story. Woman gets an organ donation, saving her life, then is in contact with the donor's family members. I can't honestly say that any of the characters are truly "likeable" but that didn't matter to me in this story because I was so investing on figuring everything out. Collins is the best at being able to manipulate the readers into thinking one way then pulling the rug out from underneath of them; it's amazing. The multimedia in this was super fun and the way that this story played out was mind blowing. 
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This story hits the ground running at a fast pace and it doesn’t stop until the end. I read I absolutely loved every second of whiplash I got while reading this one. Once again, this was a fantastic psychological thriller. I flew through this in one sitting and I loved how twisty this is.
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I am a huge fan of Megan Collins; she always comes up with very unique and different types of stories. If you have not read her work - it is definitely time to pick up this book and also check out her backlist.
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Huge thank you to NetGalley, Megan Collins, Atria Books and Aardvark Books for the ARC and gifted finished copy in exchange for my honest review.

Solid 3 stars!

Heart transplant connects with donors husband. The donor connect emails a fun part of the story, but I wish it skipped the intro to each email. It got way too repetitive. I had Alexa read me the book & it got a little annoying listening to the 15 sec intro over and over.

I think if the end would’ve been more twisty & I hadn’t guessed the ending I would’ve rated this book higher. I don’t read a ton of thrillers so I was surprised I guessed it correctly.

Pub Date: Jan 14th, 2025

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Megan Collins for this gifted DRC!

I devoured this in 48 hours. It was an incredibly fascinating and creative plot and truly gave me Freida McFadden vibes - short, twisty, unputdownable thriller that constantly had you guessing and pointing the finger at a new person every couple of pages. But girl, next time shorter chapters pretty please!!!

Thank you to Megan, Atria, and NetGalley for the e-galley!

My rating for this story is 3.5 stars (rounded up). The premise of a heart transplant recipient and the husband of the donor communicating via email leading to an obsession on the part of the recipient had me intrigued. Overall the story was a good read and a fun ride.

There were both twists I didn’t see coming and twists I predicted from really early on in the book. I did like the theme of being enough on your own and not needing to change yourself to match the people you want to love you.

This was an addicting, twisty and unique story that held my attention throughout! Filled with questionable characters, shocking reveals and unexpected turns, this unpredictable story was such a total binge read. I also loved the mixed media format which always makes the pages fly by! Definitely add this to your TBR and see if you can figure out this clever whodunit before the end!

Picked this up because my local bookseller was raving about it and it did not disappoint. Really unique and suspenseful read!

A solid 3.5⭐️ Cross My Heart intrigued me from the beginning. Rosie is a likable but somewhat unstable main protagonist. She has recently had a heart transplant and she starts corresponding with her heart donors husband. She starts falling for him but there’s a problem. There’s whispers around town and on the internet, that he might have murdered his wife. Add in one extremely unreliable narrator, plenty of people with motive, and a you’ve got a story that somewhat kept me guessing. Some plot points felt extremely unreal and hard to believe. Also Rosie wasn’t my favorite main character. Like girl please stop crashing out over every man that pays you attention. It’s exhausting! But overall, I enjoyed this one and I think others will also.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review of Cross my Heart by Megan Collins

OK everyone. I absolutely loved this book! This is hands-down my favorite by this author. It grabbed me from the first page and there wasn’t a dull moment in the book for me. I had some guesses some of them were right and some of them were wrong but overall, this was just a fantastic fast paced super interesting read and I loved. I highly recommend it!

Synopsis:

Rosie Lachlan wants nothing more than to find The One.

A year after she was dumped in her wedding dress, she’s working at her parents’ bridal salon, anxious for a happy ending that can’t come soon enough. After receiving a life-saving heart transplant, Rosie knows her health is precious and precarious. She suspects her heart donor is Daphne Thorne, the wife of local celebrity author Morgan Thorne, who she begins messaging via an anonymous service called DonorConnect, ostensibly to learn more about Daphne. But Rosie has a secret: She’s convinced that now that she has his wife’s heart, she and Morgan are meant to be together.

As she and Morgan correspond, the pretense of avoiding personal details soon disappears, even if Rosie’s keeping some cards close to her chest. But as she digs deeper into Morgan’s previous marriage, she discovers disturbing rumors about the man she’s falling for. Could Morgan have had something to do with his late wife’s death? And can Rosie’s heart sustain another break—or is she next?

I adored this book! Hooks you in right from the start and it draws you in, making you want to know what's going to happen next. I was literally suspecting everyone at some point. It was such an enjoyable, thrilling read! Plus point for the protagonist being relatable, and a Swiftie! Haha

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

I quite enjoyed this. It has the messaging between people as part of the story. The ending was solid.

Rating: 4/5

This book started off strong as a potential romance. Just as I was beginning to get bored, BANG! Part two! I know a story is going to be a wild ride when I gasp while reading and this was textbook wild.

I loved the twists and turns. The sudden turn from a romance to a double murder mystery was like a gut-punch. My excitement quickly grew and continued to build until this wild ride of a story came to an end. I pegged everyone as a potential suspect and loved how this story unraveled.

If you’re looking for your next thriller, pick up Cross My Heart. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Megan Collins for the opportunity to read an early DRC.

Wow, this story took my by surprise. I read alot of thriller books and find them to be rather repetitive. This was a unique plot and I just love how it was written. So good.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books, and Megan Collins for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First, LOVED the tag line "She has his dead wife's heart; the one she wants is his."

Rosie is a young woman who suddenly needed a new heart. Now recovering from her heart transplant and the end of her engagement, Rosie wants to learn more about her donor. She has suspicions that she received the heart of a local writer's wife, who passed away tragically. She begins communicating with him through the donor network and they connect. She wonders if it's her heart telling her what she wants, or something else? Working in her parent's bridal store and constantly being reminded of her previous relationship, she knows this is the road she wants to explore more thoroughly, but how close is too close? After all, the DonorConnect program is constantly reminding her not to disclose personal information.

This book was so fun and twisty! I loved the character development and point of views from both Rosie and Morgan. There were so many twists and turns, I definitely stayed entertained. You question what you know about the characters, question their motives, their sanity. A total mind bender that I must recommend others to read!

Rosie Lachlan wants to find love so badly that she sometimes she forces it too hard. She's one year out from her heart transplant and she is connecting with her donor's widower. The more she learns about him, the more obsessed she becomes. He's a famous author that lives nearby and Rosie can't help herself when keeping tabs on him. Then rumors start to circulate that his wife's death wasn't an accident. But Rosie may be in too deep to get out now.

This is a great suspense story to keep you on your toes. Just when I thought I figured it out, another twist came and flipped it all. Repeat for the whole book. I had a little bit of a hard time keeping all the women straight, but by the end it all came together. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of Cross My Heart.

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins is a tale of love, obsession, and dark secrets. Rosie, unlucky in love and newly recovering from a heart transplant, is drawn to Morgan, the famous author and widower of her donor, Daphne. Intrigued by him, she reaches out through DonorConnect, convinced that their connection is destined.

While the first part of the book unfolds slowly, setting the stage with Rosie's journey and her growing fixation on Morgan, the second half accelerates into a more suspenseful storyline. As Rosie digs into Morgan's past, she uncovers unsettling rumors suggesting he may have been involved in his wife's untimely death. The story delves into themes of grief, identity, and the lengths people will go for love, keeping readers on edge as Rosie realizes she may have stepped into something far darker than she anticipated.

Megan Collins weaves emotional depth with psychological tension. Cross My Heart delivers a haunting and satisfying read.

This was a fast-paced read with a unique premise. It centers on Rosie, who becomes fixated on a man named Morgan after she finds out that she is the recipient of his late wife's heart. Rosie is lucky to be alive after a sudden heart condition overtook her and is determined to put the pieces of her life back together. She and Morgan start to correspond through the donor site, much to the chagrin of her family and friends who think she is making risky decisions, but the stakes get even higher when she can easily see Morgan in real life due to living in a small town.

I didn't really connect with Rosie as a character- I felt a little sorry for her at times but didn't feel like I really "got": her. I also didn't think her relationship with her best friend felt all that authentic. I did enjoy the mystery of the book, though, and Rosie's uncovering of information related to Morgan's first marriage as she tries to figure out how to get closer to him. There was a great twist that I did not see coming at all, which I really enjoyed. I did figure out who the villain was but greatly appreciated that there were a few different twists overall that kept me guessing beyond that. The ending of the book was satisfying and worked with the rest of the story.

Overall, I thought this was a decent read that moved at a fast-clip, even if I didn't necessarily fall in love with the protagonist. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.